University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Guide: Where to Eat, Drink & Stay in Oxford
Best restaurants, bars, hotels, and landmarks near campus – built for students, parents, alumni, and game day visitors.
Whether you’re an Ole Miss student learning the Square one
weekend at a time, an incoming freshman touring campus, a parent in town for
move-in, an alum back for a fall Saturday in the Grove, or a first-time visitor
trying to understand why everyone raves about Oxford, this guide pulls together
the restaurants, bars, hotels, and campus landmarks worth knowing near the
University of Mississippi.
Few college towns punch above their weight the way Oxford
does. The whole town runs on a simple map: campus and the Grove on one side,
the Courthouse Square about a mile east with most of the restaurants and bars,
and the North Lamar corridor connecting the two with some of the best kitchens
in Mississippi. This is a literary town – Faulkner lived here, and the Square
still revolves around a bookstore – with an SEC football weekend problem, in
the best way. On home Saturdays the population multiplies, the Grove fills with
tents, and every table and hotel room in town is spoken for, so everything
below is organized to help you find what you need fast.
Best restaurants near Ole Miss
Eating in Oxford centers on the Square, where a handful of
genuinely acclaimed kitchens sit above and around the old courthouse, then
spills north up Lamar Boulevard to a strip locals treat as the town’s second
dining district. The one essential drive is south to Taylor for catfish. For a
town of this size, the depth is absurd – four Oxford-area spots landed in the
Michelin Guide’s first American South edition in 2025.
Featured restaurants to check out
City Grocery
152 Courthouse Square, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
John Currence’s flagship, serving the Square from a Reconstruction-era former livery stable since 1992, with the shrimp and grits that built its reputation still leading the menu. The upstairs balcony bar is where Oxford’s regulars actually drink – and the whole operation is closed Sundays, so plan the parents dinner accordingly.
Snackbar
721 N Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
A French-leaning Southern brasserie with an oyster bar, made famous under James Beard winner Vishwesh Bhatt and now recognized in the 2025 Michelin Guide. It’s the polished dinner-and-cocktails pick a short hop north of the Square – dinner only, Monday through Saturday, and worth reserving ahead on football weekends.
Ajax Diner
118 Courthouse Square, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
Plate lunches, chicken and dumplings, and Mississippi pot roast in a bright yellow building on the Square since 1997. It’s first-come, first-served and closed Sundays; go early on game weekends or settle in for the wait like everyone else.
Boure Restaurant
110 Courthouse Square, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
The casual, Creole-leaning member of the Currence family of restaurants, in its Square location since 2011, with jambalaya and shrimp and grits at friendlier prices. It claims the largest balcony on the Square, which makes it prime real estate for people-watching over a long lunch – walk-ins only.
Saint Leo
922 E Jackson Ave, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
Wood-fired pizza and Italian small plates from owner Emily Blount, a James Beard semifinalist for Best New Restaurant after opening in 2016 – and it just celebrated ten years. The room is stylish without being stuffy, which is why it works equally well for students on a date and parents who want something other than Southern food.
Big Bad Breakfast
719 N Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
The original location of John Currence’s breakfast empire, opened in 2008 and named for a Larry Brown story collection, with house-cured Tabasco brown sugar bacon and Grit Girl grits. It’s the default game day morning and parents weekend move – no reservations, so expect a weekend waitlist.
Volta Taverna
710 N Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
Greek plates with a Southern accent, served out of a converted gas station just north of the Square since 2005 – the gyros and the Hotty Toddy Balls are the orders. Casual, group-friendly, and closed Sundays.
Handy Andy Grocery
800 N Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
An old-school counter joint on North Lamar that’s been turning out barbecue sandwiches with slaw and oversized burgers since the 1970s. No frills, mostly locals, and weekend hours can be unpredictable – call ahead if it’s a Saturday.
South Depot Taco Shop
1004 Van Buren Ave, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
Quick tacos, burritos, bowls, and queso just off the Square, with a line out the door at peak lunch. It also does big tailgate orders in the fall, which tells you everything about its place in the local rotation.
Best bars near Ole Miss
Oxford nightlife is refreshingly easy to navigate: nearly
everything orbits the Square. The student bars cluster on and just off it, the
two hotel bars add rooftop views and craft cocktails, and the live music has
its own address. On game weekends, all of it is full.
Featured bars to check out
Proud Larry's
211 S Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
Oxford’s live music institution since 1993, just off the Square, where pizza and craft beer share the bill with a calendar that has hosted everyone from Warren Zevon to Modest Mouse. It’s the rare college-town venue that works for students, alumni, and parents in the same night.
The LIbrary
120 S 11th St, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
One of the core Ole Miss going-out institutions, a block off the Square toward campus, with TVs everywhere and multiple bar areas that fill fast on game days. This is the big student energy on the list – come for the scene, not a quiet pint.
The Blind Pig Pub
105 N Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
A low-key pub just off the Square with 20 rotating drafts heavy on Mississippi breweries and a locally loved cheeseburger. The pick when you want a bar stool and a conversation instead of a crowd.
Funkys Pizza & Daiquiri Bar
1012 E Jackson Ave, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
The frozen daiquiri headquarters of Oxford, on Jackson Avenue east of the Square, pouring celebrity-named flavors – Katy Perry earned hers by showing up after the 2014 upset of Alabama. Loud, sugary, and packed with students on game weekends; nobody comes here for a quiet cocktail.
Round Table on the Square
132 Courthouse Square, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
A social bar and grill right on the Square with one of the best patios in town and a long happy hour. It starts mellow with day drinkers and gets progressively rowdier as the night goes on – a natural first stop before the bigger bars.
Harrison's
1210 Harrison Ave, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
A student-heavy party bar a block off the Square, with live music, strong drinks, and an attached outdoor venue, The Green, that carries the overflow on big weekends. Built for going out with a group, especially after a win.
The Coop
400 N Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
The rooftop bar on the top floor of the Graduate by Hilton, with cocktails, Southern bar food, and some of the best views over the Square. Go around sunset before dinner – it draws parents, alumni, and couples more than the student crowd.
Nightbird
425 S Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
A speakeasy-style cocktail parlour tucked inside The Oliver Hotel, added during the hotel’s 2023 transformation, pouring seasonal drinks that feature locally distilled Wonderbird gin. Dim, intimate, and open from 4pm – the grown-up nightcap on this list.
Best hotels near Ole Miss
The hotel picture in Oxford is small but clear: one hotel
sits on campus itself, two boutique properties put you at the Square, a
renovated Courtyard splits the difference, and a value cluster on the west side
handles everything else. The catch is the calendar – on home football weekends
every one of them sells out, rates jump, and minimum-night stays are standard,
so book the moment the schedule drops.
Featured hotels to check out
The Inn at Ole Miss
120 Alumni Dr, University, MS 38677, USA
The only hotel on the Ole Miss campus itself, hosting visitors since 1951 with 146 rooms less than 150 steps from the Grove, plus McCormick’s bar and restaurant downstairs. Football weekends run on a waitlist that fills a year out, so for a fall Saturday this is the earliest booking you’ll ever make.
Graduate by Hilton Oxford
400 N Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
A 136-room boutique steps from the Square, decorated wall-to-wall in Ole Miss and Oxford references, with The Coop rooftop bar upstairs. It’s the fun pick for parents and alumni who want to walk to dinner – note parking runs $15 a day.
The Oliver Hotel of Oxford, by Oliver
425 S Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
Oxford’s most elevated stay: a 40-room boutique a few blocks south of the Square, reborn in 2023 from the former Chancellor’s House, with the Kingswood restaurant and the Nightbird cocktail bar off the lobby. Football and event weekends carry a prepaid two-night minimum, so commit early.
Courtyard by Marriott Oxford
305 E Jackson Ave, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
Fully renovated after a 2024 sale and within walking distance of both campus and the Square, which makes it the most conveniently placed of the standard brands. The Rhythm & Rye rooftop tavern upstairs gives it something no other Courtyard has – parking is cheap most days but jumps on event weekends.
Hampton Inn Oxford-West
110 Heritage Dr, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
A dependable value option on the west side, about a five-minute drive to campus, with free hot breakfast, free parking, and an indoor pool. You’ll need a car, but on sold-out weekends that trade is an easy one to make.
Home2 Suites by Hilton Oxford
101 S Lamar Ct, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
All-suite rooms with kitchens about a mile south of downtown, plus free breakfast, an outdoor pool, and one of the friendlier pet policies in town. The practical answer for move-in week, graduation, and any visit that runs longer than a weekend.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oxford by IHG
112 Heritage Dr, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
A straightforward value pick about half a mile from campus by the hotel’s own measure, with free breakfast and free parking. It’s the budget-conscious fallback when the Square hotels are booked or painful – just note pets aren’t allowed.
Ole Miss campus landmarks
Ole Miss is one of the prettiest campuses in the SEC, and
its essential stops sit within a short walk of each other – all are on the
map.
Featured campus landmarks
The Grove
The Grove, 1848 University Ave, University, MS 38677, USA
Ten shaded acres at the heart of campus and the site of college football’s most famous tailgate, where tens of thousands gather under a sea of tents on home Saturdays. On a quiet weekday it’s simply the prettiest walk in Oxford – no vehicles or grills allowed, which is part of why it works.
Vaught Hemingway Stadium
6 All American Drive, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
Home of Ole Miss football since 1915 and the largest stadium in Mississippi at just over 64,000 seats, named for coach Johnny Vaught and law professor William Hemingway. Even in the offseason it anchors the athletics district and is worth the walk over from the Grove.
Ventress Hall
Ventress Hall, University, MS 38677, USA
An 1889 Romanesque Revival building beside the Grove, now home to the College of Liberal Arts dean’s office, with a Tiffany stained-glass window memorializing the University Greys, the Civil War company drawn largely from the student body. One of the most photographed buildings on campus, and a window into its complicated history.
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Frequently asked questions
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